The investigation, led by the former South African judge Richard Goldstone, concluded that both Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza had committed war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity. Despite that, Israel's described the report as biased and nauseating.

One of the four members of the investigating commission is in Sydney at the moment. The Pakistani human rights lawyer Hina Jilani is here to give the Hal Wootten Lecture at the University of NSW law faculty tomorrow.

HINA JILANI: I think that what we have seen in Gaza and the West Bank is certainly serious enough for us to show our very deep concern with regard to the violations that we find have been committed with regard to human rights and international humanitarian law. We are also very concerned about the safety of Israelis in Southern Israel who are being targeted by the rockets that are being launched from Gaza by Hamas and other armed groups.

MARK COLVIN: So you say both sides are committing war crimes?

HINA JILANI: Well we have said that in our report that we do see facts that indicate that war crimes have been committed on both sides but certainly I think people should understand that the scale is very different when you are conducting an all-out military operation and when you are conducting some kind of a militant activity.

So the scale is certainly different but that is not the most important part of the problem. The most important part of the problem is that there are civilians suffering on both sides. Regardless of the number of civilians I mean, obviously the number on the Palestinian side far exceeds those who have been victims of the rocket attacks from Gaza but at the same time I think that's not the important issue.

MARK COLVIN: Yes, there's a moral issues there isn't there. I mean, in a sense if you say that, you're saying that one side is more culpable because that side is more efficient? Its killing machines are better?

HINA JILANI: I think that's an issue the world has to look at in its own way. But what is important for the world also to understand is that in the 21st century, occupation is absolutely not acceptable and the kind of occupation that has been you know, the practices of the occupation in the West Bank and Gaza in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is not matching the kind of standards that have been developed, the kinds of norms that have been developed to overcome the problems of conflict and the brutality of the conflict that we've seen in the past.

So I do believe that this is a conflict that really demands very urgent action by the international community and a very realistic view of what you want to do in terms of safety and protection of human beings, and just not the physical protection but to make sure that people are allowed to live without fear and with dignity.

MARK COLVIN: Did Israel use the contentious phosphorous bombs? What did you find about things like that and killing civilians, deliberate killing of civilians?

HINA JILANI: Israel has never denied that white phosphorous was used. It of course claims, and insists, that the use of white phosphorous in the manner that Israel says it has done is not illegal.

We however, do find that there has been very serious harm, both environmental and to people that has ensued from the use of white phosphorous and that's one of our recommendations that the whole issue of white phosphorous be reviewed. It's not a prohibited weapon but it's certainly, the use of white phosphorous as an incendiary device would be unlawful.

MARK COLVIN: What about the deliberate killing of civilians?

HINA JILANI: I think we've found that that's a very serious issue for us and we do find...

MARK COLVIN: In factual terms, what did you find?

HINA JILANI: In factual terms we have pointed out incidents where our findings are very clear that these have been deliberate killings.

MARK COLVIN: By the Israelis only?

HINA JILANI: By the Israeli soldiers. By the, as far as the Hamas is concerned we have found that rockets are being launched. That's not something that's hidden.

But what we have also found is and that the fact that the armed groups know the kind of effect it has and the victims of these rocket attacks. They can't claim that they are doing it as something that is a part of their legitimate resistance, they are hurting civilians very clearly and they know it and the fact that they didn't stop it means that they are also deliberately killing and targeting civilians.

MARK COLVIN: Israel says that the terms of reference were completely unbalanced and they give, as an example, the fact that you talk about occupation in Gaza, when they pulled out of Gaza some time ago.

HINA JILANI: I think that there that I would certainly disagree with the Israeli point of view. Gaza is certainly under occupation but all legal standards and the facts that...

MARK COLVIN: Doesn't occupation mean that the occupying troops are on the streets?

HINA JILANI: Well everything that happens in Gaza is controlled, and is in the hands of Israel because there is, Israel can come in any time they like. They have had several incursions, they can control who comes in and comes out of Gaza and to that extent I think the occupation continues...

MARK COLVIN: That sounds like a siege rather than an occupation.

HINA JILANI: It's not just a siege, it's also occupation because what happens inside Gaza is to a great extent, controlled by the actions of the Israelis in terms of the economic development of Gaza, in terms of the everyday life of Gazans and the quality of life that they can pursue.

MARK COLVIN: So you argue that it's even handed what you've done?

HINA JILANI: Of course it is even handed. We had no interest in not being even handed.

The mandate of the mission was to investigate the commission of violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law during a particular period of time, and who were the people who were responsible for these violations was not just limited to the Israeli violations.

MARK COLVIN: The human rights lawyer Hina Jilani, who's giving the Hal Wootten lecture at the University of NSW tomorrow.

You can hear her talking about human rights in her homeland, Pakistan, on our website from this evening.